Tumwater Chiropractic Beats Massage for Cervicogenic Headaches

We see a great number of folks with headaches in our Tumwater office, and Dr. Harrell has been able to help many of them. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that half of all adults deal with some sort of headache problems, so this actually isn’t unexpected. One of the most frequent kinds of headaches which our patients have problems with is cervicogenic headache which, luckily, chiropractic can generally help.

Cervicogenic Headaches Defined

A cervicogenic headache is one that arises from an issue in the cervical spine. It could be a result of a problem with either the spine itself (particularly, the vertebrae, joints, or discs), or it can be brought on by a problem in the muscles and tendons of your neck. This dysfunction in your spine leads to compression or aggravation of the spinal nerves, which can give you headache pain.

How can you determine if the headache you are going through is a cervicogenic headache? Besides obtaining a diagnosis from a healthcare specialist, a common symptom of cervicogenic headaches is tenderness or discomfort in your neck. This is occasionally combined with pain in the back of your head or between your shoulder blades.

How Chiropractic Helps with Cervicogenic Headaches

Since cervicogenic headaches will not subside until whatever issue is inducing them is remedied, it is crucial to get treatment as opposed to just trying to "wait it out." Chiropractic care is an excellent solution, and one that can provide a considerable amount of relief.

In one study circulated in Chiropractic & Osteopathy, researchers followed 80 people who had recurring cervicogenic headaches. Half of them got chiropractic care and the other fifty percent engaged in light massage therapy. Each participant was assessed 12 and 24 weeks after the procedures and it was found that chiropractic provided the optimum outcomes.

In particular, this study found that chiropractic adjustments gave patients more pain relief and lowered the frequency of headaches that occurred. Additionally, it also reduced the disability that resulted from these painful headaches.

To find out what Dr. Harrell can do for you and your headaches, call us today. We'll do our best to get you the pain relief you deserve!

References

• Haas M, Schneider M, Vavrek D. Illustrating risk difference and number needed to treat from a randomized controlled trial of spinal manipulation for cervicogenic headache. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010 18(9).
• World Health Organization. (2012, October). Headache disorders. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs277/en/